A Troubled Path
by bainidhe sidhe
Summary: Kaie has lived her whole life in anonimity, just another orphaned riff-raff in the middle of the universe. Then one day she risks it all and finds herself thrown into a life she'd only dreamed possible...
1. Prologue

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have changed the timeline of the original series somewhat, in that Radditz and the other Saiyans do not first come to Earth until Gohan is well into his teens. Everything else follows pretty closely, though I have added new characters throughout.

King Kai watched life on Earth go on as usual from his lonely vigil on his tiny planet. Well, thing weren't too lonely with the strange company he kept. And things on Earth were anything but lonely these days, though matters had quieted down considerably ever since Goku and Chichi got married. The couple lived happily with their baby son, Roshi was basking in his hentai, and Krillan and the rest of the gang had all gone their separate ways in pursuit of further training. All in all the whole gang seemed to be handling their newfound peace well, each in his (or her) own way. Even Piccolo led a somewhat uneventful life, training alone with the sole purpose of someday destroying Goku. The clouds above the Earth drifted lazily by and the sun shone brightly, seeming to celebrate the present release from battles. The old guardian sighed, knowing that such a gift would never last. In all the years since Goku first arrived on Earth as a small child, the Saiyan still had no idea of his true origins. And now, Vegetasei, the planet Goku was from, was destroyed.

Kai stretched his arms above his head with a groan, absently watching the stange cricket and monkey chasing each other around his planet's only tree. This Freiza figure had already proven to be nothing but trouble. The man (or being, or whatever he was) had nearly wiped out the entire Saiyan race in a single instant, the whole act barely a flick of a finger for him. The only remorse Freiza held about the whole ordeal, from what Kai could detect, was that he was sorry he'd missed the few "monkeys" who were off the planet on missions. If this man ever laid eyes on Earth, their future would look grim. And chances were that the few remaining Saiyans would soon remember about Goku and come to retrieve him, thus bringing the planet to Freiza's attention.

The old Namek closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on what remained of Vegetasei. If only there was some way to prevent such a catastrophe from ever occurring on Earth. Goku and his friends, as well as Piccolo, were strong fighters by Earth's standards, but when compared to seasoned warriors such as the Saiyans their skills meant little. As he searched among the debris of Vegetasei, Kai noticed a fairly distinct ki headed away from the planet's remains.

A small frown drew across his face as Kai focused on the pod and studied its lone occupant. The passenger was a child, more of an infant really, and it possessed an unusually powerful ki for one so young. Most apparent about the baby, though, was the furry brown tail wrapped around its midsection. A saiyan. _Another survivor,_ he thought, _It must have been launched just before Freiza destroyed the planet_. Giving the child one last look, Kai noted its destination and relaxed his thoughts, ending the meditation. With a sigh, he turned toward his small house and yelled for Gregory and Bubbles to come eat lunch. It wouldn't hurt to have another strong warrior around (which the baby would most likely grow up to be) should the need ever arise. And from his millennia serving as North Kai, and knowing all he now knew, Kai was certain that the Earth wouldn't be peaceful for long.


	2. Chapter 1

WHAM! "Kaie! What do you think you're doing?!?" A short squat woman stood yelling in the doorway she had just slammed open. A furious look had overtaken her already ugly face as she glared at the figure crouching on the floor. "Child! I'm talking to you. Turn around this instant!"

The figure flinched and stood up, pushing back her wild, shoulder-length hair black hair. In her hands were clenched the remains of a large Fricta leg. The girl managed a guilty look as she attempted to talk around the food in her mouth. "Mmmt..shlep...wrotbach..." Swallowing the food in one large gulp, Kaie smiled sheepishly at the woman in front of her, letting out a nervous laugh. "Madam Schnater! What a surprise.... Hehe..." Kaie gulped in apprehension and hid the remains of the Fricta leg the back of her shirt. She put on her most innocent look, trying to weasel her way out of another sticky situation. "Really, this isn't what it seems. I prom...oww!!!" Kaie never had the chance to finish her sentence as the Madam grabbed her by the ear with a growl and proceeded to drag her towards the board house, carrying on the entire trip about all the grief Kaie always gave her. "Really, Kai! One day its fights in the mess hall, the next sleeping during instructions. Not to mention the bucket of _dren_ that 'fell' on Housemaster Creido's head just this morning!! _Now_ its stealing from the store house. Next chance you get, you'll have the entire Freizian Enforcement Corp shutting us down! Well, you won't get another opportunity for mischief around here. I'm going to do what I should've done a long time ago." This last comment, accompanied by a glare that once silenced the entire mess hall by itself, was hissed in Kaie's face as they reached the detention quarters the girl already knew so well.

Kaie rubbed her throbbing ear and cast a pitiful look across her face. "Awww... c'mon Madam S! Housemaster Creido wasn't supposed to be anywhere near that doorway. It was an honest mistake. And its not my fault Instructor Yadda is sooo boring. Besides, I was hungry!!" Kaie continued to whine as the stocky woman pushed her into a room and slammed the door. "C'mon Madam S; cut me some slack here, we go way back!" Kaie was now reduced to shouting through the door. "You know that you can't seriously get rid of me. This place just wouldn't be the same without me; I'm an essential part of the community!" She jumped back in surprise as Schnater's eye appeared in the door's small window. "That's a pile of _dren_, Kaie, and you know it. Ever since you were dropped off at this orphanage years ago you've been nothing but trouble. This is the last time you'll cause mischief around here again. First thing tomorrow, you're going to the detainment center on Planet Dred where you'll have a disciplined, structured lifestyle and learn to become a productive part of the universe. I can't I'll miss you around here. I'm sure Planet Dred will whip you into shape in no time." _Or scare the dren out of her, whatever comes first._ Schnater thought smugly as she locked the window and stomped off with a self-righteous huff.

Kaie stared at the door in disbelief, still processing what she'd just heard. The detainment center on Planet Dred? That hell hole? Planet Dred was where the worst juvenile detention center in this part of the universe was rumored to be, where only the most disruptive and delinquent of young personalities earned a visit. The overseer _had_ to be bluffing. Either that, or she'd finally lost her marbles. But, of course, Shcnater did say she'd put Lit the Zenetian in solitary confinement for a 2 weeks next time he released the Brells from their pen. And now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen the guy around lately...

Kaie sat down on the hard bed with a sigh. She'd really done it this time. Chances were she wouldn't survive the center long enough for her term to be up... according to the rumors at least. A flash of anger swept through Kaie as she pictured the being behind this whole mess. _Zera... this is all **Zera's** fault. _she thought. Dragging Kaie into her little scheme to scrounge for extra rations and abandoning her at the first sign of trouble. Some partner in crime she was. And now Kaie was being shipped off to live with the worst juvenile lowlifes of the universe (not to say this whole ordeal didn't appear _fairly_ exciting) while the little blue-skinned Lort would prance around the orphanage like a little saint. _Zera will probably take all my stuff too. Like my new radio transmitter._ The one that had taking 7 months of extra kitchen duty to get. _Man, would I ever like to teach that stupid Lort a lesson she'd never forget..._

Sighing in despair, Kaie laid back on the bunk, crossing her arms behind her head. Right now she'd give anything to get out this situation. She'd scrub floors, suck up to the Housemaster, apologize to that scrawny Yitew she'd punched in the face for trying to steal a part of her rations. Hell, she'd even give up a ration or two a day if she had to. Kaie mentally cringed at the thought of missing even one meal. _Well... almost anything..._ Reaching under her shirt, Kaie pulled out the half-eaten Fricta leg and finished it as she brooded over her current predicament. _I'm gonna hafta think up something good to get outta this mess. Even if its only to beat Zera to a bloody pulp._

Licking her lips a last time, Kaie tossed the Fricta bone into a corner and rolled onto her side, adjusting her shirt over the mass of fur wound about her waist. Closing her eyes and surrendering to sleep, the dark haired girl dreamed pleasant dreams of slowing extracting her vengeance from a certain blue alien...

Back on Earth, a squat farmer took a break from shoveling hay to wipe his sweaty forehead and suck at his cigarette. With a sigh, he returned his hat to his head and gazed over his head of ostriches. Suddenly, large birds started looking about the sky frantically while squawking in panic. Seconds later, the farmer heard a growing whine that soon revealed its source to be a bright light streaking over his field. He watched in awe as it flew overhead and crashed, not too far way from where he was standing, with a resounding BOOM and an earth-shaking intensity.

The little man stared at the smoke rising from just a few hills over in disbelief. "I-i-i-it's a-a meteor!! Or a UF-F-F-O!!" He gawked for only a moment more before sprinting to his truck. "I gotta see!!" Bewilderment and awe surged through the farmer as he sped by, and a few times over, the birds scattered about the field as he made his way towards the spot where the..._thing_ had landed. Moments later he arrived at the base of a huge crater where, at the bottom, a spherical metal object lay still smoking. He nearly wet himself as the object's true identity dawned on him. "N-not a meteor..." was all he could stammer before he yelped in surprise as the spaceship emitted a series of muffled beeps, followed by a hissing sound, as a portion of the sphere folded away with a soft metallic whine.

Clutching a shotgun in his trembling hands, the farmer watched as something _inside_ the UFO shifted its weight, causing the ship to rock slightly. A hand from inside the sphere emerged and grasped a hand-hold, followed by a mass of wild, dark hair and tall, muscular, fully armed body. The being rose to its full height and launched itself into the air, landing in front of the astonished farmer. It had an appearance not unlike that of humans, excluding the furry brown tail wrapped around its waist.

The Saiyan ground its teeth in anger upon seeing a living being in front of him. "So... the inhabitants of this world are still alive? Curse that Kakarot!" _Why hasn't he completed his mission by now?! _Radditz thought angrily as he studied the puny being before him. Reaching one hand up to the device over his eye, he pressed a button and scoffed at the power reading he received a few short bleeps later. "Peh...only a 5. What a planet!" After a quick decision to amuse himself after such a long and boring journey, Radditz approached the terrified farmer who began screaming warnings for the alien to stay away. With a great yell, the farmer aimed his shotgun at the saiyan and fired one shot, before turning tail and running in terror.

Radditz smirked at the planet's primitive weapons as he caught the bullet in his hand. Grinning wickedly at the petrified human, Radditz flipped the bullet between his thumb and forefinger, then flicked it at the Earthling with fatal accuracy. Staring down at the corpse, he again expressed his disdain for this pathetic planet, spitting at the dead farmer. _Feh... a planet of weaklings..._ His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when his scouter issued a small beep. Radditz studied the readout his device presented him. _Two life forms... both a great power. Closest is a distance of 4880..._ His heart rushed in anticipation. _One of them must be Kakarot!_ Radditz laughed wickedly as he leapt into the sky and he took off in flight. He felt himself gearing up for the inevitable "meeting" soon to come, knowing how to enjoy it all too well. "Watch out little brother," he yelled into the wind, "here I come!!"


	3. Chapter 2

Kaie was pulled from her delightful dreams of slowly dismembering Zera by an incessant scratching coming from the far corner of the room. She rolled over with a groan and ungracefully landed on her head on the floor. She pushed herself up with one arm and a string of well-practiced curses. With her free hand, Kaie rubber her throbbing forehead. The persistent scraping quickly reminded her of why she had been so rudely awakened, forcing her to ignore her poor head. On her hands and knees, she crawled over to the corner and glared at a brick that seemed to be dancing in the wall. She didn't have long to ponder exactly _why_ the brick was jumping so as, with wide brown eyes, Kaie watched the offending brick pop out of the wall and straight into her face.

The girl lay prone on the ground for only a moment, so she could curse her luck and momentarily comfort her over-abused head. Then with a growl of anger Kaie leapt at the hole in the wall, planning to divert some of Zera's punishment to this new offender... and found herself staring dumbfounded at the small, lizard-like boy working furiously to loosen another brick from the mortar. Dark purple scales were wrinkled in concentration as the small Scarat chipped at the wall with a screwdriver and claws.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Kaie finally managed to find her voice. "Vruel? What are... how did... what's going on?!" Vruel paused in his ministrations to flash Kaie a fang-filled grin of happiness. "I'm gonna bust you out Kaie! Everybody heard what the Madam done to you and I don think its fair." His face scrunched up as tears welled in his usually sparkling orange eyes. "I don wanna see you go to Dread Kaie. That's where mean people go. And you ain't a mean people." His eyes furrowed together. "I think Zera should hafta go, not you. She's the mean people." A grin once again transformed his face. Tears banished, Vruel happily redeclared his intentions to help her escape.

Kaie gazed fondly at the young Scarat she had helped so many times. His loyalty was certainty worth the rations she had given up to him and his friends time and again. Of course, no one else knew she had done such things; each time she had in _faux_ anger commanded them to keep her gifts a secret. She had a reputation to maintain, it was well-earned and couldn't be sullied by acts of compassion. Vruel's grin was infectious, however, and Kaie found herself chuckling happily as she picked up the discarded Fricta leg with her tail and used it to help widen the hole.

Minutes later, with hands covered in dust and mortar, Kaie stepped through the hole and picked up the Scarat, hugging him tightly as she danced in a small circle. Setting him to his feet, Kaie knelt before him. "I wish I could see the look on Schnater's face in the morning when comes to ship me off to Dred." Kaie hugged Vruel again. "Oh, Vruel! You're priceless! I can't believe you did this!" Vruel smiled happily as Kaie feigned anger, shaking her finger in his face. "Now you listen to me you little rugrat. You better not let Schnater catch you or she'll make a purse outta your hide! I'm serious. You gotta get back to your quarters right now. Why in the world did you take a such foolish risk to help me?" Kaie dropped her mock anger and grinned at the Scarat. Softly, she said, "But I'm glad you did."

Standing up, Kaie scanned the landscape around her. She was just outside the walls of orphanage. Luckily, Schnater had taken her to the wing closest to the parking deck, most likely to ensure a more speedy departure for her least favorite charge. Kaie crossed her arms under breasts and chewed her lip as she thought. Vruel clung to her leg, simply happy to be so near his idol. Staring at the dusty cliffs along the horizon, she tried to form a plan. She couldn't stay here, that was for sure. She had to put as much distance between her and the orphanage before they discovered she was missing. If Freizan law didn't mandate that all orphaned minors be locked up in a government orphanage, she would have gone out on her own years ago. But with so much feudal wars over planetary control, children were being orphaned by the thousands. Nobody wants to see the streets full of starving children, reminding them what their ploys for power has done. So the Freizan government established prison-like orphanages on every planet.

A small clicking noise brought Kaie back to the present, a noise akin to the purring of a cat when coming from the Scarats. Kaie smiled and squeezed Vruel's shoulder affectionately. She raised her head and looked over at the loading dock, her mind back to business.

Stealing a cruiser would be simple, but she had no money to keep it fueled or buy food, and she didn't want to take the chance of being caught "borrowing" food from the panty again. Crekeu was a small planet, mostly composed of large markets and refueling stations, and was mainly used as a military outpost and pit-stop for large transports traversing the galaxy. If she could manage to make it to the nearest launch station, she could somehow sneak onto one of the larger shuttles leaving the planet. Then she would be free. _Free. No imposing adults. No selfish, backstabbing, good-for-nothin drens like Zera. No one telling me what to do and how to do it. I could finally live my life for myself._ She smiled at the possibilities.

Her withered however, when she glanced down at Vruel, absently chewing a nail while he clung fiercely to her leg. Leaving the orphanage and starting a new life meant leaving all the good stuff behind too; she would never see her friends again. The majority of the children had a strong bond with each other, forged by the sense of abandonment each child feels throughout their lives in the bleak prison-like orphanage. Even if they conflicted with each other from time to time, in the end nobody wanted anything bad to happen to their comrades. They were basically the same. They were family. The only family any of them had anymore.

She wanted desperately to take some of them with her, but that was out of the question. As much as Kaie hated to admit it, Vruel and the others would probably be better off here. She only hoped they could forgive her for abandoning them like this.

Kaie sighed sadly, then resolutely picked Vruel up. She barely noticed his extra weight as she jogged down the outer wall of the building, until she came near a low eave of the roof. This was the best place. Kaie set the small boy down and squatted so they were eye to eye; his eyes wide and sparkling with excitement, hers a bit too wet for her taste.

Gripping Vruel by the shoulders, Kaie spoke firmly to him. "Now Vruel, this is important. You must tell no one, and I mean _no one_, that you helped me or you'll be in lots of trouble, ok?" When he nodded his head enthusiastically, she her hands under his arms and lifted him onto the eave. Looking up into his small face, she said quietly, "Vruel, I gotta leave now. I can't stay here any more or they'll send me to Dred. So that means my only choice is to run away and not come back." Kaie ignored Vruel's pained expression and watery eyes. "I'm sorry, Vruel. I can't take you with me. I want to; you know I do. But you won't have any fun. Here you can play with Piru and Choba, and keep scaring Schnater with those slimy _tiegs_. But you gotta listen to me," she brandished her finger in his face again, "I want you climb over this roof like I showed you, and get back to your room, ok? Then you have to pretend like you don't know anything about me leaving." This particular part of the building was one that she and the other older kids frequented to go sneak about the town; on the inside of the divide, a few choice bricks protrude from the wall and make for a convenient ladder. Kaie gave Vruel's arms a gentle squeeze. "Can you do all this for me?" She smiled warmly at his small nod and wiped a tear from his face. "Good boy. I think I'll miss you the most. Now I gotta get outta here before its too late. You remember what to do? Good." She playfully swatted his bottom. "Now get goin'. Make sure you really terrorize Schnater for me."

Vruel leaned down and hugged Kaie's neck. "Bye Kaie. You're bestest ever and I won't forget you!" Vruel quickly straightened and spun away from her. Just before he crested the eave, he stopped and looked back at her. "Kaie... its ok. I understand why you gotta leave. Everyone else will to." The young boy gave her a small smile, and for a moment Kaie was amazed at how observant he was for one so young. He knew what she was worried about. She watched him until he scampered over the roof before she turned to face the parking deck. The dry wind blew her unruly hair across her face as she took on last look at the only place she had ever called home.

She absently tightened her tail's grip about her thin waist, and stood a moment to gather her courage. Then she took off running, to go and steal a cruiser, and start her new life.


	4. Chapter 3

Something like an explosion rocked the ship; the crates and barrels stacked precariously about the room shuddered and feel. Kaie cursed the barrel as it fell on top of her. She seemed to be cursing a lot of things in the past week.

Heaving the barrel to the side, she took the opportunity to stretch her cramped leg muscles and momentarily abandon her hiding spot. Until today, being a stowaway hadn't been as exciting as she had thought. Stealing the cruiser and sneaking onto the transport had been surprisingly easy, since she's had an entire night before she was even discovered missing. And the storage compartment she had chanced to duck into was filled to the brink with the ship's food rations. But sitting in the dark hour after hour, for who knew how long, was close to driving her insane. She dipped her tail into the open crate behind her and lifted a can into her hand. The abundance of food seemed to be the only thing keeping her sane. Kaie popped open the lid an began shoveling the contents into her mouth when the sound of shouts and pounding footsteps drew her from her meal. Poking her head above a stack of crates, Kaie watched as a group of guards gathered outside the storage room door. Perhaps she'd finally find out what had been going on for the last twenty minutes.

She studied the men, all of whom wore expressions of fear. _What are they so afraid of?_ Kaie strained her ears, and managed to pick out something about pirates attacking the ship. Her heart fluttered at their conversation. Pirates. Now _that_ was exciting. Kaie hopped around as she rubbed her hands together, thoughts spinning wildly through her head. She visualized herself vanquishing the dirty band of cutthroats, being showered with praise, idolization, and, more importantly, food. _What better way to start off my new life than to come blazing in as a hero?_ She thrust her arm triumphantly into the air. "Kaie: Savior of the Weak; the Greatest Defender of the Galaxy; and the Most Beautiful Warrior in the Universe!" She clapped her hands in approval. _Yes! This is it; the greatest opportunity I coulda asked for!_

Kaie grasped the edge of the crate in front of her and hoisted herself over, dodging through the shadows toward the door once her feet touched the ground. Holding her breath, she waited impatiently for the guards to run off towards the pirates. As soon as the coast was clear, Kaie leapt into the hall. She sprinted in the direction the guards had taken off in, her eyes sparkling with her visions of grandeur. Making her way up two floors, she passed by hallway after hallway torn apart and choked with smoke. An explosion rocked the ship, and she watched in horror as a guard came flying out of a doorway; the same doorway she'd been about to enter. Kaie cringed as the guard went soaring through a wall. Raucous laughter drifted out of the doorway. _I guess I found the pirates then._ She crouched down to the ground and crawled under the clouds of smoke billowing out of the room. Passing through the doorway, Kaie peered through stingy and watery eyes and was stunned at the sight around her.

The room she'd crawled into was large, probably as big as the mess hall at the orphanage, and looked to serve as the navigation center for the transport; at least, it had at one time. Now it was nothing more than a collection of broken and burning computers, with the mangled bodies of the crew and guards scattered throughout the room. Kaie felt a cold chill race down her spin. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. Her attention was drawn from the carnage about her to one of the side rooms, by the sounds of strangled cries and harsh laughter from within.

Kaie stared with wide eyes in the direction of the horrific laughter; a moment later the pained cries ceased. She flinched as a bottle came flying from the next room and shattered against a wall, followed by a string of loud profanities. _Definitely a BAD idea to come out here..._she thought as the sinking feeling grew in her stomach. Taking small, shuffling steps backwards she began slowing making her way towards the hall, all the while keeping her eyes glued to where the supposed pirates were celebrating. Through the smoke Kaie made out the outline of figures heading into the navigation center. With a start, she fearfully began scrambling for the door only to trip over a smoking corpse and loudly crash into what was left of a computer.

"What do we have here? Heh heh... looks like we almost missed one of 'em." Kaie cringed as she peered up through her hair, fearing to see what the deep voice came with. The next thing she knew, she saw the bottom of a boot coming towards her face and found herself sliding down the far wall with a groan. _Owww... how in world did they get in front of me so fast? _She thought in stunned disbelief. Before she could even begin to pick herself up a large stocky hand wrapped itself around her throat and dangled her off the floor. Gasping for air Kaie found herself staring into a pair of the darkest, most frightening eyes she'd ever seen. The ship's flashing emergency lights reflected off the.... _monster's_ bald head and gave his black eyes an eerie glow. Digging her nails into his wrist, she pried unsuccessfully in an attempt to get some air. She stared in wide-eyed terror as the monster chuckled something to the shadowed figured behind him who responded in an equal manner. The blood was rushing in her ears, drowning out even the high-pitched screeching of the emergency alarms. _I...I... can't breathe!! I can't believe this is it. _She was dumbfounded. _I'm gonna die - right here, right now. These **monsters** are unlike anyone I've ever heard about before... and they're doing me in as they **laugh** about it._

As her vision darkened to only a small point of light, Kaie felt a fire grow in her abdomen and squeezed her eyes shut against the pain of it. She cringed mentally as the fire took over her whole body, bringing on waves of anger and outrage. The strange emotions began to overtake her, whispering in the back of her mind to embrace them, to welcome them. Something inside of her mind snapped, forcing her to she open herself, and the raw emotions washed through her.

_How **dare** they? These inhumane... murderous **bastards** just wiped out the entire crew of this ship and are **laughing** as they watch me struggle for my life! _This incredible feeling continued sweeping over her, and in the split second since she first felt it begin her anger had spun out of control. Drawing on her new sensation of empowerment, Kaie snapped her eyes open and glared into the evil orbs gloating before her. Lashing out her tail, she snatched up a metal rod and brought it straight up into the monster's groin. She smirked as she saw pain flash into his eyes, and in the split second when he loosened his grip in shock she bit into his forearm, brought up her leg and pummeled the bastard in the face. A howl of pained surprise escaped the monster's mouth as he stumbled backwards and dropped her to the ground. Kaie landed deftly in a crouch, the fingertips of her left hand resting on the ground and the metal rod raised above of her. With flashing eyes she charged the monster's crumpled form, her tail lashing out behind her. Never had she felt so powerful as she did in this moment. Never had she felt more unstoppable. She felt... _invincible_.

WHAM Kaie felt as if she hit a brick wall and was stunned to find herself pinned to the ground. Opening her eyes she found herself face to face with a being not so unlike herself. Brown eyes glared down at her from a pale face; a face framed by a wild mass of dark hair that stood straight up from his head. He was sitting on her chest and had her wrists pinned above her head in a perfect, demobilizing position. Apparently she had forgotten about the monster's friend. Kaie felt fear rise in her throat as she realized the powerful feeling she was just experiencing was completely gone. She searched for it, tried to draw upon it, but it was over. Everything was over. Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned her head away and braced herself for the killing blow. When nothing happened Kaie relaxed a bit and peered at the man cautiously with one eye. Those intense brown eyes were still glaring at her, studying her as if confused by her mere existence. "What the hell are ya waitin' for Vegeta?! Just blast the bitch in the face and be done with it already!" Kaie warily lifted her head to see a large, muscular man, not a monster, picking himself up off the floor. He wiped a trail of blood off the corner of his mouth, his black mustache standing out starkly from his angry red face as he growled, "If you ain't gonna do it, then move over - I **owe** her one!"

"Idiot! This _bitch_ just registered a power level of 7,000 on my scouter and laid you out with a single kick to the face. Or perhaps you have forgotten so easily?" The man, Vegeta as the bald man addressed him, still had her pinned to the ground and never took his eyes from her face as he spoke. "Besides, you seem to have missed an important trait about this _bitch_ that is quite perplexing." In a flash, Vegeta was standing up with a grip on her ankle, and was dangling her in front of his large companion. "What the hell...." The large man's voice trailed off as he stared her waist. Looking down, or up from her new position, Kaie saw that Vegeta was pointing toward her furry brown tail that was defiantly wrapped about her waist. _What's the big deal about my tail? _The larger man rubbed his bald head in confusion as he met Vegeta's gaze. "How in the world is this possible? I thought we were the only ones left."

Vegeta smirked at his companion, "Well Nappa, obviously Freiza missed more of us than he thought. Just take Kakarot for example... that is, _if_ Radditz leaves him alive."

Kaie crossed her arms over her chest as the two men pondered whatever they were pondering in silence. The blood was rushing to her head, and not even the intense amount of fear she felt towards the pair could overcome her newfound annoyance. She never was good at keeping her thoughts to herself. With a huff, Kaie glared at the hand still holding her ankle. "Look Mr. Veggiehead, or whatever your name is, if you two aren't going to kill me could you please just tie me up on the ground or something... cuz this position is really giving me a headache." The smaller man huffed in disdain and rudely dropped her on her head. With a groan, Kaie pushed herself onto her bottom as she rubbed her head; it really had been a bad week for it. Vegeta crouched down to her eye level and stared into her eyes.

"You should hold your tongue and remember who you are dealing with, _child_, for we have not yet decided to keep you alive for long." Vegeta's penetrating gaze never wavered as he smirked wickedly. Kaie gulped in apprehension, unable to move as she froze wide-eyed in his glare. "If you are good little hostage maybe, _maybe_, you will survive this encounter. But as you can see, my associate over here has a short temper and I have a low tolerance for annoying little rugrats; get on my nerves and I will let Nappa have his fun with you. Understand?" Kaie snuck a peek at the huge man standing in the middle of the room and somehow managed a small nod, for once not concerned with being a tough guy. Lucky for her, Nappa seemed to be engrossed in the device on head; the "scouter" as Vegeta had referred to his, a small device that covered one ear and folded across his face on the same side, with a thin green-tinted glass hovering over one eye; Vegeta wore a matching with a red-tinted glass.

Vegeta smirked, obviously enjoying the girl's fear. He opened his mouth to say something else, when Nappa's voice interrupted him. "Hey, Vegeta... I think you should come over here. Its about Radditz." Vegeta stood up, and turned toward the other saiyan. _Radditz? What has that simpleton done now? Don't tell me he screwed up such a menial mission._ Vegeta clicked a few buttons on his scouter, turning it back on, and walked over to Nappa. Standing next to his partner, Vegeta barely reached Nappa's shoulders; a tribute which was largely due to his hair that stood up straight from his head. Vegeta crossed his arms and assumed a wide-legged stance. "Well?" he said, "What's the big news?"

Nappa looked down at Vegeta, a strange look on his face. _I don't even know how he's going to take this news. I'm sure glad there's another "punching bag" around in case he gets pissed off._ "Well, uh... I was checking in on Radditz's signal and it sounds like I caught the tail end of his meeting with Kakarot."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "So he found the long-lost Kakarot. What's all the fuss about?"

Nappa shifted his weight uncomfortably, his tail swishing back and forth in unease. "Well Vegeta, from what I gathered Kakarot never completed his mission; in fact, it appears that Kakarot actually settled down and has _lived_ with the Earthlings all these years... even _interbred_ with one of them. And on top of that...." Nappa's voice trailed off, unsure of how to break the rest of the news to his superior.

Vegeta glared at Nappa. "Well? And...?"

Nappa straightened to his full height and crossed his arms, still in disbelief himself. "Kakarot and Radditz have just finished a desperate battle... and they are both suffering from mortal wounds. Radditz will be dead shortly. Tune your scouter to channel 5, hear for yourself."

Kaie sat hunched on the cold floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched to the two pirates talking in low tones to each other. She could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, though none of it made any sense to her. "Radditz.... meeting.... Kakarot never.... the Earthlings... _interbred_.... dead shortly...." When the two men both grew silent, she realized they were listening to something on the scouters they wore. _What is going on? One minute they're on a killing spree and the next they seem to have forgotten I am even here. Of course... that could be a good thing._ Kaie's mind began to race as she contemplated an escape route. She'd studied enough outlines of space cruisers at the orphanage to know that the emergency vessels were typically located down the hall from the control center. That is, if any were left. _So its only a matter of sneaking out of here unseen, then I'll be home free!_ Kaie looked towards the hall, a mere 20 feet till freedom, and was about to make her move when the pirates conversation caught her ear.

"...revive the dead?... smart to leave his radio on... collect dragonballs... a wish... go to Earth... can kill Freiza... lucky break..." The mention of Freiza's name stuck out like a sore thumb. A sickening feeling grew in Kaie's stomach as a realization came over her. These men weren't pirates - a closer look their armor and insignia identified them as Freiza's warriors; the most feared and ruthless collection of beings in the universe, besides the dreaded overlord himself. The hair on the back of Kaie's neck prickled as a new fear settled over her. She was in the presence of two of Freiza's _personal_ warriors, in the middle of destroyed cruiser and a bloody massacre, and she was expecting to get out of this mess alive; and from the bits of the conversation she heard, she was looking at the starts of a plot to kill the most horrible and powerful being in the known universe. Kaie gulped in apprehension. Things looked grim.

She flinched as the two warriors clicked off their scouters and stared at her, apparently finished with their discussion. Nappa scratched his nose before folding his arms across his chest. "So Vegeta, what're we gonna do with the bitch?"

Kaie's throat tightened as she waited for Vegeta to voice her fate. The smaller saiyan's trademark smirk appeared. "Heh. For now, the _bitch_ comes with us."

Yep. Things were looking _very_ grim.


End file.
